By Alvin Foo

UPBEAT manufacturing numbers for last month have given economists yet another reason to be more optimistic that Singapore can emerge out of the recession this quarter.

Manufacturing output, which accounts for about a quarter of the economy, rose 2 per cent from the figure a year earlier, helped largely by a sharp surge in the drugs cluster.

The number easily trumped the expectations of economists, who had tipped a 3 per cent decline. Last month's rise follows a revised 0.4 per cent gain in April - the first positive headline number since September last year.

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